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Dolly Parton-Megastar

Entertainer, businesswoman and philanthropist, Dolly Parton is a phenomenon who continues to flourish, remaining one of the world’s true megastars. Dolly’s career has been unmatched in the field of country music and she has established herself as a true “crossover” artist. Her awards are legendary. She is the most honored female country performer of all time with 7 Grammy awards, 10 Country Music Association awards, 5 Academy of Country Music awards, 3 American Music Awards and is one of only 5 female artists to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award (2 years in a row). She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as well as the Music Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been awarded honors by the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Library of Congress. These prestigious awards were capped by the coveted Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. Government for excellence in the Arts.

Dolly began the Dollywood Foundation which currently funds the Dolly Parton Imagination Library across America and Canada. Her Library sends a book each month to every child under 5, from the time the child is enrolled until the child reaches kindergarten. With the help of local sponsors this program has expanded to over 800 communities in 41 states and will give away over 5 million books this year alone.

After reaching the pinnacle of the music industry Dolly turned to a career in business and in 1986 opened Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It soon became the state’s number one tourist attraction and in 2006 was selected by the theme park industry as one of the top three theme parks in the world! That and Dollwood’s Splash Country (Tennessee’s largest water park) attract 4.5 million visitors annually and employ more than 3,000 people.

The VanWezel is proud to be one of only 2 performing arts halls in Florida to be chosen to present her Better Day World Tour.